Welcome to my Blog

Posted in: Best Used Cars, Good Used Cars, Reliable Used Cars, Second Hand Car Prices, Uncategorized, Used Car Finder | November 17th, 2009 | No Comments »>

Hi,

I’m Bernard. Once upon a time I made a rush decision on a used car and lived to regret it. I had to buy another used car two years later. This time I was much more prepared and did a lot of research.

This blog is the result of that work and is it offered to you so that you can make the ‘informed decision’. 

If you do need more information or advise on a specific situation  feel free to email me at bernard@goodusedcars.org

 

Good luck with your next car.

 

 

 

 Top 3 Good Used Cars for First Time Drivers

Posted in: Good Used Cars | December 16th, 2009 | No Comments »>

The moment you get your driver’s license, it is always coupled with the responsibility of safely operating the vehicle on the road. You are now officially authorized to drive your car!

But what good is a license without your own car? You wouldn’t want to constantly  borrow your mom’s truck time and again, would you? Of course, you want to own a car and drive it yourself. Now owning a car is quite different from borrowing that of your mom’s. With the authority to drive your truck, comes the obligation for the maintenance, insurance, and monthly amortization, not to mention the accessories you would want for your car. 

Parents of new drivers would usually recommend buying good used cars for their children because it is more affordable than brand new cars. Consequently, a few questions must be considered here. For instance, is the new driver a teenager and still in school? Will the car be used on special trips? Will it be used for cargoes? Why does he needs a car and for what purpose? For whatever reason, it is settled that everyone needs a safe vehicle before hitting the road. At any rate, there are used cars that still operate in good condition and at the same time are affordable. The following suggestions below might be helpful for your fist good used car.

My top 3 used cars are:

• Ford – Used Focus Sedan or Taurus

• Honda – The Accord and Civic are driver friendly; good for first time owners and short travels

• Toyota – More than forty years and counting, Toyota has produces Corolla, a powerful car designed for  in-town transport

There are still more models available parents can choose from. Just be alert and vigilant on the latest trends and prices. With patience, you will surely find a good used cars 

Good Used Cars Buying Guide

Posted in: Good Used Cars | November 15th, 2009 | No Comments »>

Finding a good used car is not easy. You are never quite sure of what you are getting, regardless of if it is from a dealer or an individual. This short article deals with the steps you need to make the right decision.

Not all used cars are problematic. There are always good used cars on the market. These are sold or traded because a leased expired or because the for

mer owner wanted a new (and possibly different) car. Generally speaking these cars have low miles and have been well maintained.

However, plenty of used cars out there are on the market that require costly work and repair.

It is always better to buy a car from an individual because you will have access to the car’s maintenance and repair history. You should be able to see receipts or other proof that the oil & filters were changed regularly, and receipts for any major repairs that have been done recently.

With a car dealer the situation is different as there is no car history available. Even if the necessary paperwork was passed on to the car dealer, many dealers would throw all them all away to intentionally obscure the history of the vehicle. Unfortunately, lies and tricks are common place when interacting with car dealers.

Make sure you do not get cheated – save thousands of dollars.

What to Check When Inspecting a Used Car

Want to find out if it is a good used car? Always ask for test drive.

You will need to drive a fair distance to better understand how the car handles, rides, brakes and accelerates. Drive with the radio off so that you can hear the car better. Does it start easily? Does it idle smoothly? Does it accelerate without hesitating or stumbling? Do the steering and brakes feel normal? If you have any doubts on the car as you drive it, be it a weird sound, smell or anything else, be sure to walk away.

The next step would be to open the hood and look for obvious problems like oil or coolant leaks.

Check the oil level on the dipstick. If it is low, the engine may be burning or leaking oil. If it is very dark and thick, the engine may not have had the oil changed in a long time.

Next, pull out the transmission dipstick. The fluid should be a pink or red color. If it is dark brown or has a burned smell, the transmission may have problems.

Look at the battery and search for a date code, you will need to replace a battery that is more than four or five years old. Have a better look at the battery posts or terminals. Are they corroded? Do they have gouges or scratches? These are an indication or battery problems and are a sign that the battery might have been jumped.

The odometer reading is very important. Low mileage is the best scenario most times, but it depends if it was done on the Highway or on frequent short trip, stop-and-go driving. A car with 80,000 highway miles would probably be in a better condition than the same car with 50,000 city miles. Keep in mind that the odometer can be tampered with and turned back

Look at the tires. Uneven wear usually means worn suspension parts that could be expensive to replace.

Check that everything works by turning it on and off. This includes the lights, turn signals, air conditioner, power windows (front and rear), power door locks, power seats, wipers, heater, defroster, radio, etc. Anything that is not working means you can negotiate a lower price.

Watch out for water or mud stains on carpeting, on door upholstery, in the trunk and under the hood. With flood damaged vehicles, water can cause long term, chronic and expensive problems with wiring and electronic modules.

What car to buy?

Any year, make and model can be a good or bad one, and so you will have to do some research Luckily it is easy! Check out Center for Auto Safety You will be able to search by make, model, year and type of problem. 

The NHTSA maintains a database of recalls and defects. Go to the NHTSA website and search for any recalls or defect bulletins on the year, make and model of vehicle you are considering buying. 

Consumer Reports is an excellent source for unbiased used car comparisons. They also publish a yearly Used Car Buyers Guide which lists repair and reliability ratings for most makes and models. The repair data is collected on thousands of vehicles and is analyzed to rank vehicles as good buys or not. 

We recommend researching the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) to see if the car has had any accidents, been flood damaged or stolen. Investing in the small fee charged for the report is cheap insurance for the problems it can prevent if the car has a questionable history. CarFax is a good web site for such reports.

Two other resources are CarSurvey.org and AutoBeef. Alternatively you can do a search online for the year, make and model of vehicle you are thinking about buying. See what kind of comments the owners of these vehicles have posted about their cars.

Speaking to a trusted mechanic for his thoughts on a particular make or model might be a good idea. At the end of the day, he fixes cars for a living and knows which ones have problems and which ones do not.

Finding good used cars online is a time saver. The Internet allows you to go through many thousands of listings. Obviously you will need to see it or driving it before you buy it. This way you’ll be able to validate the seller’s claims. Let the buyer beware. One word of warning – there are fraudsters who post ads for cars that do not exist. They will ask for a deposit or payment in advance and disappear with your money. Have a look at our ebook and protect yourself from scams.

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Getting good used cars without getting cheated!

Posted in: Good Used Cars | November 15th, 2009 | No Comments »>

Be wary of car dealers and their tactics when searching for a good used car. 

Many of us continue to be tricked into buying a used car we don’t want, and at price above our budget. It is vital to be aware the tactics employed by car dealers if you want to come out with the upper hand when searching for good used cars.

Car salespeople have many tricks and tactics up their sleeves. You will rarely get a  direct or exact quote from a car dealer. This is as it would allow you to go to another dealer and get a better price. If you do leave the dealership and tell the dealer that you will shop around for other prices, the dealer will most likely ask you to come back once you got your best price. The dealer will then either match the price, or, as have come back and are seemingly ready to take the car, they may increase the price slightly, knowing they have you in their grip – Do not feel obliged to  buy the car, it is your hard earned money and solely your choice.

Some car dealers will ask you to commit to buying the car, even before you get the final price. This is frustrating for customers, but reasonable from a car dealer’s point of view. Give your car dealer two choices: either he gives you a quote or you walk out of the shop. Avoid price negotiation at this stage. 

If the car dealer makes you feel uncomfortable, always remember that you can back out and find another used car somewhere else. 

A common trick from some car dealers is to identify some car models that are deemed as ‘undesirable’ for some simple reason. For instance, ‘the manufacture date is very old’, ‘the car has been in the showroom for a very long time’, perhaps they are ‘the least popular colour’. Next, the dealer will run a large advertising campaign based on these lower priced cars. When the ad runs, customers come after the deal; however they are usually told that the cars have been sold. You will then be invited to browse the showroom in the hope you will find another, more expensive car. If the buyer still insists on looking at the ‘undelivered’ vehicle, the car dealer will try to point out reasons as to why this particular car is undesirable, and then persuade the customer to look at a better car. Of course, the trick is to have the customer buy that higher priced car. 

In the case of trade –ins, some car dealers work with mechanics to undervalue the car you trade in. For example, let’s say the car dealer contacts you before your new car is delivered. He will tell you that there is something wrong with the trade in and ask for the car to come into the workshop for further inspection. Your vehicle will spend no less than an hour in the garage with no work done on it, and you will be told that the mechanic claims to have found it is worth $500 less than what they originally offered for it. By reducing your trade value, the car dealer gets another $500. 

Another catch when buying a used car is that car dealers will provide a quote for a car but exclude the on-road costs. If you do not specifically ask for on-road costs to be included, you may be hit with an unpleasant surprise when you are ready to sign.  The inclusive price could be thousands of dollars more than the original quote!   

Remember, no matter where or when you may stroll into a car dealership, you will always be made to feel ‘lucky’. Early in the month, they might say they missed their target last month and are desperate to make it up. During the middle of the month, they might say that their boss has instructed them to sell more cars to reach their target this month. Either way, it is important to keep your emotions in check and stay cautious.  

To make sure you get a good used car and not pay too much, search for used car on classified sites. Negotiate with the car owners themselves. By avoiding car showrooms and car dealers you will be avoiding their tricks & tactics. 

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